Real Brownfields Deserve Dollars I
read with interest the story on Brownfield development dollars in the
July 20 issue. I applaud Dan Lathrop and other county commissioners who
voted “No” on the Randolph Street project...

Hopping Mad Carlin
Smith is hopping mad (“Will You Get Mad With Me?” 7-20-15). Somebody
filed a fraudulent return using his identity, and he’s not alone. The AP
estimates the government “pays more than $5 billion annually in
fraudulent tax refunds.” Well, many of us have been
hopping mad for years. This is because the number one tool Congress has
used to fix this problem has been to cut the IRS budget –by $1.2 billion
in the last 5 years...

Just Grumbling, No Solutions Mark
Pontoni’s grumblings [recent Northern Express column] tell us much
about him and virtually nothing about those he chooses to denigrate. We
do learn that Pontoni may be the perfect political candidate. He’s
arrogant, opinionated and obviously dimwitted...

A Racist Symbol I
have to respond to Gordon Lee Dean’s letter claiming that the
confederate battle flag is just a symbol of southern heritage and should
not be banned from state displays. The heritage it represents was the
treasonous effort to continue slavery by seceding from a democratic
nation unwilling to maintain such a consummate evil...

Not So Thanks I
would like to thank the individual who ran into and knocked over my
Triumph motorcycle while it was parked at Lowe’s in TC on Friday the
24th. The $3,000 worth of damage was greatly appreciated. The big dent
in the gas tank under the completely destroyed chrome badge was an
especially nice touch...

George Foster

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
If this seasons Detroit Tigers wins the World Series, it may be the most unusual club to do so. Their run through the regular season and playoffs has brought unusual drama to the sport.How can a team stampede toward the World Series only three years after compiling the 2nd worst record in Major League Baseball history? Even a year ago the team lost 19 more games than it won. It would be different if the Tigers spent mega-millions for several stud players before the season, but - no. This baseball team somehow wins without a bonafide superstar.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
Most Iraqis now hate Americans and cant wait for us to get the hell out of their country. More alarmingly, the number of Iraqis who feel this way is still growing. If you doubt this fact, as I did, you probably havent seen the latest polls from Iraq, itself. These results hit me like a thunderbolt, but unfortunately didnt attract many headlines in the U.S. The shocking conclusions from the latest independent study shows that 61% of Iraqis approve attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. Not attacks by our troops, they support attacks on the U.S. military.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
In a song from the 1960s, an old Motown band rates the various qualities to look for in women, but concludes, ...first I look at the purse. I, too, have made a study of the purse... those carried by men. We need to brace ourselves, guys. In the future, every man will own a purse. Not a wallet, I mean a real honest-to-goodness handbag with shoulder straps, multi-pocketed, and room enough to fill with guys stuff.I knew this was coming. You see, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I admit to using a purse. At college, some kind of bag to carry books seemed only reasonable. After observing a star basketball player on campus using a purse (a frilly one at that), I decided not to concern myself with how my manhood might be perceived in public. When asked, I informed friends that I had purchased a pouch at the army surplus store. At that moment in my maturity, I was still not ready to concede I had been reduced to carrying a purse.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
Recently, when John Karr was arrested and confessed to the killing of then six-year old JonBenet Ramsey, it was stunning news. This is a ten-year-old case that many thought would never be solved. Well, hold on. This bizarre murder appears ready to take a few more wild turns before it is done. At this moment, there are few details of the accused man and circumstances. Some dont believe the suspect was anywhere near Boulder on Christmas, 1996 - he might just like the attention.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
When it was announced last week that Fidel Castro was turning over control of Cubas government to brother Raul, wild dancing broke out in the streets of Miamis Cuban-American community. Many of these Cuban exiles and their children have waited almost 50 years for this news. Beginning in 1959, Fidels Communist government outlawed political opposition and scooped up most of the islands property, prompting hundreds of thousands of the educated and affluent Cubans to leave for the U.S. For them, Fidel represents everything bad that has happened to Cuba.Some dreamers in Miami and elsewhere believe Cuba will soon become a democracy, an idea as foreign there as in Iraq. I dont know why people are jumping around, Cuban-American and former Detroit Tiger Barbaro Garbey said this week. We hope that the system changes, a little more democracy. But it will be very difficult to change that system in Cuba - Fidel, Raul or whoever is coming from the Communist Party, its going to be the same thing.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
Whatever happened to this administrations crusade to create and prop up democracies - by force if necessary - as the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East? The fledgling, democratic government in Lebanon has been brought to its knees after being pounded by Israels military with support from the Bush adminstration. While it is true that the terrorist wing of the Hezbollah party in Lebanon provoked the latest explosion of violence, it is difficult to justify wiping out scores of innocent Lebanese at the expense of killing relatively few terrorists.Israel has the right to defend itself and is understandably angry by the unprovoked attack on its troops by Hezbollah. But, does Israel really expect the weak Lebanese government to subdue Hezbollah terrorists? Israel itself was unable to extricate Hezbollah during its 18 years of occupying southern Lebanon. Israel knows that the defenseless Lebanese government couldnt kick out the June Taylor Dancers if they were holed up in Beirut.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
No one should have been surprised. Compared to expectations, the U.S. performance was the poorest of any team in the World Cup soccer tournament. The Americans meekly scored only two goals in three games - and one was by an opponent into the wrong net. Talk about not having a chance, the U.S. never held the lead in any game.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
It is about time. For three years, thousands of Iraqi and U.S. military agents have chased the murderous terrorist, Abu Mousab al-Zaqawi, in a country not much larger than the state of Michigan. When the elusive leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was recently killed in a farmhouse by two 500 pound bombs launched by F-16 fighter jets, many including President Bush tempered their response as to its significance.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
It has nothing to do with spring fever. Also, I have heard enough of the Dixie Chicks to know that these country stars must be talented musicians, but I cant name one song they have recorded. All three women are easy on the eyes, but good looks alone will never be enough to capture my heart.I know what you might be thinking, but my affection for them has nothing to do with their famous dislike for President Bushs policies. I love the Dixie Chicks because they are not afraid to take a stand, whether or not others agree with it. The Chicks could have just kept their mouths shut and continued to rake in millions of dollars as the hottest country act in the U.S. Instead, before the 2003 Iraq invasion, lead singer Natalie Maines expressed her shame that the President is from her home state of Texas.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
We should all be outraged. The cost of heating our houses has skyrocketed, gasoline is $3 per gallon and rising, and the U.S. is now dependent on foreign oil for 60% of our energy needs. Someone needs to take the fall for this scandal but who? How about retail gas stations, oil companies, and others in the oil industry taking some responsibility for a change. Damn those price gougers. My heating bills tripled last winter over what I had ever paid previously. Of course, after remodeling recently, I doubled the size of our house. My wife and I needed four bedrooms and three baths in case family ever visits. To compensate, we do turn off most of our lights at night in order to do our part to save energy.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
The Detroit Pistons are the best team in basketball and a lock for the NBA championship. Recently, words to this effect came from respected basketball legend and TV analyst Bill Walton. Most sports fans in Michigan would have to agree - expectations in these playoffs are very high for the team. Anything less than an NBA championship crown will stain the Detroit Pistons as a failure this year. All season, the confident, unselfish Pistons have done whatever is necessary to win. They have the distinction of being the only dominant NBA team in memory that doesnt have a superstar player to bail them out when times are tough. No Michael Jordan to hit the last second championship shots, no Shaquille ONeil to score at will inside, no Magic Johnson to transform ordinary players around him into stars.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
You are not alone. As politicians complicate the tax code more each year, more Americans have a need for professional tax services. If you have lost confidence in preparing your own income taxes, wonder if your tax practitioner is best for you, or like to save money - read on. As a former tax-man myself, I still choose to hire someone else to prepare mine and am happy for it. Here are considerations for choosing your tax practitioner: First, spend time comparative shopping. If you have time to look around for the best deal on your favorite melons or laundry detergent, you surely can investigate options on high-quality tax services that might save you thousands in taxes paid.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
George W. Bush is a flaming liberal. L-I-B-E-R-A-L. And I am not the only one saying it. More and more respected voices of the conservative establishment are labeling the President with the king of all slurs in their circles  the L word. Fiscal responsibility, toughness on security issues, and strong leadership are at the core of a platform that has twice elected the Bush administration - and the mantra for conservatives everywhere. In recent years, any sign of weakness on these matters earns the deviant an automatic badge: liberal. Fiscal responsibility. Former Reagan economist, Bruce Bartlett, scorches Bush in his new book, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy. Bartlett even states that the conservatives archenemy Bill Clinton employed more conservative principles than the current administration. After all, the Clinton years did come closer to balancing the budget than his immediate predecessors.

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
It all began a year ago when my fiancé insisted we have a real kitchen if she was going to move into my house after the wedding. Never one to restrict her culinary expertise, I promptly agreed. After discussing all possibilities with a builder and architect, one thing led to another. Soon we had plans for a renovated house twice the size of the existing home and ten times the cost of our idea for a new kitchen. Gulp. When mentioning the decision to undertake a major remodel of my house, friends said, Get ready for a real ordeal. Or, Forget about your life being the same for at least a year. How difficult would it be, I thought? The crews could work around me and visa versa. It will be fun. Well, because of my fun-filled building project, 2005 was easily the most stressful year of my life. Here are the rules for residential building and renovation I have learned  the hard way:

Random ThoughtsGeorge Foster
Did you ever notice everyone has an opinion of the city of Detroit - even if they have never traveled to Michigan? Whether you hate, fear, feel sorry for or wish you lived in Motown - the name of that city usually triggers some emotional response. Well, it didnt take long for the grousing to begin after the announcement of Detroits Ford Field as the site for the 2006 Super Bowl. Why Detroit? No one wants to go there. A Super bowl in the Murder Capital? And on and on.